Page 34 of Missing Pieces

Bella starts cracking up. “You mean before you drink way too much and start flirting with every man in cowboy boots on the street.”

I try to hold in a laugh since I don’t know Summer at all but the smile that flits across her face makes me think she knows that is exactly what will happen.

We enter Summer’s suite and there are six girls inside giggling and drinking wine.

“Hey y’all!” Summer shouts. “The rest of the party has arrived so let’s get this party started!”

One of the girls in the room whoops, jumps to her feet and heads to the small refrigerator in the room to pull out a tray of mini cups.

“Are those Jell-O shots?” I ask.

Another girl whose body is nearly identical to Summer’s stands up and says, “You betcha. When we were in high school, we used to challenge who could drink the most without passing out.”

“And you were usually the one puking all over everyone,” Bella chimes in.

Ivy shakes her head. “I am so glad I am older than you three and missed out on all that fun.”

Summer’s look-a-like, who I’m guessing is her sister, snorts. “You might have been older than us three, but you were still at Brett’s parties. Oh wait, you were so busy sneaking away from the rest of us and fucking Trace that you never partook in the challenges.”

Ivy picks up a pillow off one of the couches and throws it at the girl. “Shut up Laney you have no idea what me and Trace were doing. You were too young to know.”

Laney rolls her eyes. “You know they teach sex ed in like seventh grade.”

One of the other girls who I think I’d seen once or twice in the diner answers, “You two weren’t exactly quiet. Everyone knew what you two were up too.”

Ivy’s face contorts into shock. “Wait, y’all really heard us having sex and no one ever told me?”

Summer smiles a huge smile that takes up half her face. “We were too busy betting on who would come first or be louder.” Ivy’s face turns bright red. Summer tries to calm her by saying, “We knew you and Trace were for keeps so it’s not like y’all would stop. Besides, it was funny.”

“Alright, alright enough embarrassing poor Ivy,” Jell-O shot girl says. She hands a shot to everyone and holds hers above her head, “To Summer. On her wedding night, may she be as loud as Trace and Ivy.”

The entire room bursts into a cackling mess, including myself. I take my shot with the rest of the ladies and then grab Ivy giving her a small squeeze. She looks at me and shrugs then grabs her phone and starts texting furiously.

Summer yells for everyone to be quiet. “Alright y’all so Ivy brought the newest member of our crew here and the newest resident of White Creek, aka my replacement. This is Harper.”

I wave hi as Summer introduces them. Her sister, Laney. The brunette I had seen at the diner, Grace. Her cousin with a gorgeous head of red curls, Charlotte. Two other brunettes that went to school with her, Casey and Taylor. And the pretty blonde in the corner with familiar green eyes, Tacoma.

Grace walks up to me. “I am so sorry I never introduced myself at the diner. I always seem to pop in when you are so busy. But I am glad to finally meet you and that you came out.”

“Thanks. I knew you looked familiar.”

“Aren’t you the outta-towner that got super drunk in Sawyer’s like a month ago?” the girl named Taylor asks me.

My cheeks flush and just as I am about to answer Charlotte cuts in, “You mean the night you were super wasted and jealous of the pretty new girl and how she was gonna steal every man’s heart?”

My cheeks get even brighter as I feel the heat rise up my neck. “That would be me, unfortunately.”

Ivy shoves her phone into her pocket and retorts, “Y’all get just as drunk as she did that night, actually most nights I see you. So who cares? I’m sure Summer’s gonna be like that tonight.”

“You can count on it!” she shouts as she sits on a couch grabbing a glass of wine.

Ivy whispers to me, “Don’t worry about Taylor. She got dumped by her boyfriend like a week before you showed up and she’s jealous of pretty much everyone now who’s got a man talkin’ to them.”

I nod and force a smile to my face. I sit on one of the couches and pour a glass of wine. Ivy plops down next to me and throws her feet up onto the table. We talk about girly things for a while. It helps lift the sadness I’ve been feeling and opens me up enough to join in on the small talk.

Soon enough Charlotte asks me, “So what’s your story? How did you end up in White Creek?”

I sigh and push my hair behind my ears. “Want the short version or the long?”